Monthly Archives: February 2014
Ceramic Making: The Beginning
I’m not quite sure how I feel about clay yet… I remember making pinch pots and learning how to score and slip in high school, but I also remember not being very good at it. I struggled on the first day we went to the Ceramics building. I was very unprepared and had no idea where to begin. I played around with a few ideas for a while, but ended up scrapping an entire coil pot I had spent almost all of class making.
The next class was a bit more successful… I had made a few drawn sketches of what I wanted to make. For my vessel, I was thinking of making either a hollow elephant head or a turtle shell. After taking a few opinions from my peers, I decided to go ahead and try the elephant head (though it seemed rather difficult.)
In the end I really liked how it turned out! Making the entire head and trunk hollow was difficult, and his tusk an ears are EXTREMELY fragile… but if his trunk manages to stay up and he doesn’t fall apart, I would consider this a successful piece. I have also made a hollow, cylindrical vessel for him to sit on like a lid. I have yet to decide how to decorate it, but hopefully I will finish it be next class so I can start working on my next piece.
Drag Queen Music Video Production Stills + Photoshoot
Ceramics from Islam
Islamic potters are known for their use of white and blue color schemes as well as luxurious metallic sheen. European ceramics original inspiration and technical knowledge comes from Islamic countries. According to Yousef Jameel Centre for Islamic and Asian Arts, success of the Islamic art is based off of “a love of colour, a taste of geometry and pattern, and the ability to adopt and adapt.”
Landscapes in south-west Iran supply pomegranate groves with colors of scarlet flowers and rose. In avoidance of human imagery due to religious reasons, “geometric and floral designs flourished in a way unknown in the icon-oriented Christian world.” It is thought that Islamic culture does not receive enough acknowledgment for originating and inspiring the works of Europe and Asia.
As the Islamic world “acted as a middleman” in major trade routes of the world, the European searched for Oriental silks and spices. In using their ability to “adopt and adapt” to the demands of the Europeans. Islamic and Asian potters began to play off one another’s ideas to appeal to the European traders.
“The skill of the Islamic potter now lies in the way he adopted the Chinese model, and adapted it to his own taste.”
White tin-glaze was soon created by the Iraqi potters, and Chinese white porcelains led to the development of stone-paste bodies to try and mimic the translucency of the Chinese imports. With the addition of color and arabesque design, the resulting innovations now created their own unique style with a specifically Islamic character.
“It is a matter of great urgency, in these days of international, inter-racial, and inter-religious tension, that Islamic artistic and cultural traditions should be understood and appreciated in non-Islamic areas of the world. It is the hope that this will introduce the works of the great craftsman potters of the Islamic past, and that through understanding and appreciation of their unique contribution to the history of the world ceramics there will grow a much deeper respect for the Islamic world as a whole.”
Dish with poly-chrome glazing , Presented by the American Research Center in Egypt, 1974
Two different traditions of glazing were inherited: a glaze fluxed with soda or potash, called an alkaline glaze, and a glaze fluxed with lead-oxide, called a lead glaze.
A new period of experimentation was under way. For this piece, different glazes – green, brown and yellow – have been used to portray a highly stylized peacock. Although the design itself is remarkably sophisticated, it is evident that the experimental phase is not yet complete. Alongside the decorated areas, the potter has left parts of the bowl surface completely un-glazed.
Jug with epigraph decoration, Bequeathed by Professor A. H. Sayce, 1935.
After initially using the stone-paste body to imitate the white Chinese porcelains, the Islamic potter in his accustomed way started to add color. First he added a single color to the glaze – cobalt for blue, manganese for purple, or copper for turquoise. In a lead glaze copper turns green, but in the alkaline glazes used on stone-paste, it turns turquoise, and it is this turquoise which has been the hall-mark of Persian ceramics and tiled domes ever since its introduction in the eleventh – twelfth century. The design on the jug is calligraphic. The words and letters had a holiness of their own.
Bowl with radial design and drop-shaped cartouches (1638), Gift of Gerald Reitlinger, 1978.
As figurative decoration declines, the commonest designs are now geometric with a variety of arabesque patterns used as fillers. This piece has a ‘Maltese’ cross which is emphasized visually by its color, by its wide, white border, and by the wide, white surround to the pear-shaped cartouches in each of its arms. The primary cross-shape is emphasized by its pointed arms, and by the use of the same arabesque design as a filler for each of them. The four secondary arms have square ends and the designs used as fillers alternate, two and two. The result is that although the bowl is decorated with an eight-point radial design, the eye reads it as a cross.
Jug with flowers against a fish-scale background, Bequeathed by C. D. E. Fortnum, 1899.
The appearance of recognizable species of flowers on Iznik ceramics was due to the rise to eminence of one particular artist, Kara Memi, at the court of Suleyman the Magnificent. Kara Memi transformed Ottoman illumination by introducing naturalistic flowers, such as tulips, roses, hyacinths and carnations, to replace the traditional, stylized, Islamic floral motifs and arabesques.
Although some traditional elements were still retained, the naturalistic flower designs clearly captured the imagination of the Iznik potters. First making their appearance in the 1540’s, they were accompanied by a new color scheme. To the blue and turquoise of the preceding decade were added a soft sage-green, a manganese-purple, and a soft greenish-black for outlines. Experiments were made with coloring the background, and a fish-scale pattern introduced to help alleviate the monotony of a large area of single color.
Resource: http://jameelcentre.ashmolean.org/collection/7/674/676
Sense of Touch: A Lasting Impression
October 30th, 2013. I lost one of the most important people in my life. He is the reason I am who I am today. He is the reason I have a home, the reason I was born, and the reason I strive for greatness. His death seemed impossible and inevitable all at the same time. I knew he was sick, but he had been sick for a while. Every time I heard he was getting worse, I put it behind me and pretended it wasn’t real. He was my neighbor, my role model, and my grandpa.
George Carper died of Prostate cancer, one of the most common cancers found in older men. He went through every treatment possible, flying across country to find the best doctor possible. His will to live was strong and he fought until the end. In his last weeks of life, my grandpa was provided an in-home hospital bed where he could stay in the comfort of his home while being connected to an IV. When I visted him, it was like visiting a stranger. He slept for the most part, and when he was awake he didn’t seem to recognize anything. After suffering a couple strokes, he was hardly able to talk. This was one of the hardest things for me because my Papa was the most intelligent man I had ever met. He was a mechanical engineer and was an extremely important person in my community. When asked his name, he would respond in grunts and confused looks. I could tell he was in so much pain, but my grandma was too afraid to give him the pain medication he needed. Finally my father (his son) stepped in and gave him the medicine. Then a miracle happened.
Seconds after the medicine dissolved, his eyes popped open. He stared out the window and spoke as if he had never been sick. He noticed the birds outside, spoke his name, and looked my father into his eyes and told him he loved him. We were all in total shock and used this precious time of consciousness wisely. We all had a chance to talk with him before he started to slowly return to his lethargic, confused state. As I began to leave the room, I walked up to his bed one last time. I knew this would be the last chance I got to say bye. I told him I loved him and that he was the greatest grandpa I could have ever asked for. I then began to walk away, only to be stopped by a dry, wrinkled hand wrapped around my wrist. “Goodbye honey.”
The sensation sent chills down my spine. I didn’t expect him to grab out to me, let alone speak to me. Only moments before he had no idea who any of us were. I will never forget how it felt to have him recognize me one final time, even in his worst condition. My Papa was the most successful, honorable, truthful man I have met to this date. I tried my best in everything I did just to hear his praise. I am so glad to have made him proud so far throughout my college career, and I will continue to do so.
http://www.legacy.com/obituaries/Cincinnati/obituary.aspx?n=George-S-CARPER&pid=167777344
“Line” Design Project: Construction Day
So after frantically trying to gather all my materials, I finally began and nearly finished creating my art piece! This work is totally interactive and the pipes slide in and out so anyone can create their own version. In the photo below, it is missing one tube because it cracked. It will soon be replaced and the entire box will be filled. It was a long, cold day in my garage but with some help from my dad, I completed the construction! Now all I have to do is clean it up and decide on whether I should paint or stain it tomorrow.
Though the design is somewhat simple, making this piece took a lot more consideration than I originally thought. Because I had rendered it out on SolidWorks, it was already scaled out. But because I was using a 1/8 circular saw blade, the loss of 1/8 of material had to be taken into account for the measurements of all of the cuts I made. So if a plank was supposed to be 11.5 inches, I had to add .125 when I measured, knowing that the .125 would be removed in the cutting process. I also had to take into consideration that I did not want the pipes TOO tightly packed so they could easily slide around one another, so I left a small space inside the frame (meaning I made the bottom and top horizontal pieces of wood a tad bit longer than necessary.) Since it had to fit six pipes across, I measured the diameter of the pipes, multiplied by six, added .125 for material loss, and another small fraction for the extra space.
Another measurement I made included the exact diameter and length of each pipe because though they were supposed to all be the same, there are always going to be some small variation in size. Because my smallest pipe was almost a half inch smaller than all of the other ones, I had to base our final cut length of pipe off of the smallest pipe. I only had enough pipes to make the EXACT amount of tubes, so it was crucial I use the pipes in the most efficient way.
(Almost) Finished Piece
Materials
Safety First!
Full Length Pipes and Circular Saw
Pipes
Wood Planks
Cutting the Pipes
The Wooden Frame
Constructing the Wooden Frame
Math
Measuring Pipes
Cincinnati Art Museum: 10 works I especially liked…
“Richard Peers Symons”- Sir Joshua Reynolds, 1971
“Sir Joshua Reynolds was an influential eighteenth-century English painter, specializing in portraits and promoting the “Grand Style” in painting which depended on idealization of the imperfect. He was one of the founders and first president of the Royal Academy.”
Though I am more into contemporary art, this painting was one of the few I really liked. The combination of the grey color of the dog and the desaturated blue of the man’s coat was very pleasing to me. The man seems confident yet calm. I really like the realistic style and overall craftsmanship.
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“Red Fox”- Minnie and Greg Adkins, 1992
This statue was definitely one of my favorites. Its straightened tail and long legs give it a lanky, jagged appearance. I love the solid, bold colors and lengthy snout. It is kind of scary… and I think that is why I like it so much. Though it may not be something I’d put in my bedroom, it would definitely be an interesting piece to put SOMEWHERE in my house.
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“Soup Can”- Andy Warhol, 1962
Though this is just one Warhol piece, I really just love all his work! I think his use of everyday objects in his art has become super meaningful in the art world.
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“Last Flowers”- Jules Breton, 1890
Like Reynold’s painting, I was also drawn to this one for its photography like qualities and use of color. The contrast of the growth of flowers in the snow as well as the pop of colors brings a lot of beauty to the painting.
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“Abstraction (Head)”- Pablo Picasso, 1930
“An abstracted head of a woman in profile, facing left. The figure is painted in grisaille in front of a brown background. During the 1920s, much of the work Picasso did drew on classic themes, and large, monumental style nudes. His pieces became more of an interpretation, as opposed to work that represented anything that was going on in reality, or the lives of the pieces he depicted.”
I just couldn’t just go to the Cincinnati Art Museum and NOT include a Picasso in here. I really liked all of his works in the gallery, but this one was the first to catch my eye. It is amazing how your brain can automatically discern it as a face. Though there is little color, the forms are really captivating.
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“Hecuba” Reuben Nakian
Though this picture wasn’t taken in the Cincinnati Art Museum where I saw it, its form is just as interesting. The piece looks like it is melting and folding, though it is entirely solid. I love the texture and anonymity about it.
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“Brown, Orange, Blue, on Maroon”- Mark Rothko, 1963
Though I hate to point out the obvious, the color choice in this piece is what really makes it for me. Mark Rothko is a pro at finding the perfect color combinations to evoke a certain emotion. Though this did not make me cry… something about these giant, stacked blocks of color really fascinated me.
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“Horizontal Rust”- Franz Kline, 1960
“Kline was labeled an “action painter” because of his seemingly spontaneous and intense style, focusing less, or not at all, on figures or imagery, but on the actual brush strokes and use of canvas. For most of Kline’s [mature and representative] work, however, as the phrase goes, “spontaneity is practiced.” He would prepare many draft sketches—notably, commonly on refuse telephone book pages—before going to make his “spontaneous” work.”
I really enjoy the emotion and movement in this painting. The giant strokes of paint give my eye a lot of places to travel throughout the piece. The contrast between the white and black is super bold and the different angles give it some energy.
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“Lace Mountains”- Ursula Von Rydingsvard, 1989
“Cedar and Graphite. Limiting her material means in this way has allowed von Rydingsvard to concentrate tremendous energy into her forms, and to produce a remarkably coherent body of work over the last 17 years. The restraints are also consistent with the implicit ethical base of von Rydingsvard’s art – a peasant ethic of economy and resourcefulness born out of her experience growing up in forced-labor and refugee camps in Germany at the end of World War II.”
If I had the space (let alone the money) this would definitely be something I would love to put in my home. The texture and material is fascinating to me. When I first walked into the room my eye was immediately drawn to the Lace Mountains.
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“The Upstairs”- Charles Sheeler, 1938
“Charles Sheeler tried to explore the path between photos and paintings. Much admired for his meticulous, carefully composed photography, he put down his camera and picked up paintbrushes instead.”
I was drawn to this work because of it’s sense of perspective and and angles. Unlike most “good” paintings, it is almost hard for my eye to travel around the painting because of the opened position of the door. For whatever reason, that was intriguing to me. The lines and the shadows make the piece busy, yet simple. It is calming and eerie at the same time and causes me to wonder what could be up that staircase…
Spacial Perception
I have been a worried child since birth, but I wasn’t diagnosed with an anxiety disorder until high school. From a young age I was constantly worried and obsessing about tornadoes and cavities, but as I got older I learned there were a lot worse things in the world. While most kids were going through their stage of feeling invincible, I was doing quite the opposite. Everything scared me and it was overwhelming. In high school, I started having constant panic attacks and thought I was going crazy. Every time I felt my anxiety levels rising I thought I was having a heart-attack and made my mom rush me to the doctors. After all of my EKGs and blood tests came back normal, my doctor finally explained to me what was going on.
Most people don’t understand why this is such a hard disorder to live with. They think, “Well… you aren’t dying. So why are you scared?” My usual response ends up being something like, “If I held a loaded gun to your head and told you I wouldn’t pull the trigger… are you still going to be scared?” It is often the unknown that scares me the most. I have many triggers, but more often than not panic attacks creep up at unexpected moments. Public speaking, crowded rooms, large bodies of water, medicine, outer-space, and sudden death are some of the few triggers of my anxiety.
Having an anxiety disorder has affected my spacial perception in many ways. Walls begin to cave in and my peripheral vision starts to blacken. I feel everyone’s eyes on me, judging my every move. Everything feels like it is trying to trap me in, which often leads to me running outside where I feel like I can breathe. Time slows down and speech turns to gibberish. It is an extremely scary experience to involuntarily disengage from reality. My heart is usually beating out of my chest while my brain is trying to convince me that I’m dying. This makes going to school very difficult for me sometimes, but as the years go on I am learning to control and cope with my anxiety. I can no longer drink caffeine or take any type of medicine (Tylenol, cough medicine, flu shots, muscle relaxers, anti-depressants, etc.) without it causing me intense anxiety.
Anxiety does not only change my spacial perception, but how I perceive the world as a whole. I am extremely sensitive to everything around me. I use art to express these emotions and turn all the chaos inside my head into a piece of work.
Sample Anxiety Photography Portfolio
Anxiety Drawings
“Line” Design Project: CHANGE OF PLANS
So after a few hours of critiquing other studies and seeing what my classmates had to say about mine, I noticed a lot of my peers attention was directed to the straw study inspired by Tara Donovan. The fascination wasn’t just with the material used, but the fact that it was interactive. When holding the study, one could push the straws through in either direction. (Shown in previous post.)
After reflecting on the critiques and thinking about materials and concepts, I rendered an image in SolidWorks that realistically represents what I plan on constructing for the most part. I originally planned on using thin vacuum piping, but am currently looking into cardboard mailing tubes to decrease the weight of this piece. Each tube will be individually placed within the wooden frame and will be able to slide back and forth from either side.
The idea is that the “artist” will stand on one side of the sculpture while the viewers watch from the opposite side as the tubes are pulled and push to create an original version of the piece. This interactive art allows different interpretations and encourages others to create their own art.
I have been playing with the idea of adding small lights or reflective material to enhance the effect of the different tube placements.
“Line” Design Process: Step 2 (Stick Studies)
I will refer to these art studies as my mixed medium “stick” studies. After spending some time on these small structures, I brainstormed with Joe and came up with a new idea to help inspire my final project. I am very intrigued by the work of Giuseppe Penone and his tree carvings. Discussing relief sculpture in class and observing Giuseppe’s carving techniques, I would love to create some kind of subtraction sculpture. For my next post, I will show my design process in using layers of cardboard to create some kind of relief carving.
Though the following studies don’t quite relate to this idea, I still learned a lot from working with line and forming segments to create these pieces. Other than the wire, all the materials used were straight which was a good and bad thing for me. The good thing was it insured my clear use of line and allowed me to challenge myself to create unique designs with nothing but straight lines. It was also hard because I felt I couldn’t explore different techniques of making sculptures, such as carving and molding.
I was really inspired by Mark Di Suvero, Tara Donovan, and Nils Udo.
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Activating Space
Activating Space
Activating Space
Activating Space
Activating Space
Volume
Volume
Volume
Kendra Carper 